Tampa Bay Rowdies Announce Move to United Soccer League

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news/2016/10/25/tampa-bay-rowdies-announce-move-to-united-soccer-league

Tampa Bay Rowdies Announce Move to United Soccer League

League continues expansion with one of the country’s most renowned soccer brands

Oct 25, 2016

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Tuesday, October 25, 2016) – The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced today that the club will be joining the United Soccer League (USL) for the 2017 season.

“We are excited to join the United Soccer League in 2017,” said Rowdies Chairman and CEO Bill Edwards. “I have said from the day I acquired controlling interest in this club that I wanted to make it one of the most successful teams in North America. The USL is a vibrant league, and this move is a necessary and positive step toward reaching the long-term goals and objectives of the club.”

“With our league headquartered in Tampa, we are pleased to welcome the Rowdies to the USL for next season,” said Alec Papadakis, the Chief Executive Officer of the USL. “This allows us to expand our footprint into the Southeast with a storied soccer brand while meeting our key tenets of market size, committed local ownership and stadium development. In Bill Edwards, we have a dedicated local owner who has invested heavily in the team’s stadium, front office and media efforts and is considered one of the marketplace’s top business and forward-thinking leaders. Bill is a renowned philanthropist and has donated significant money for children and veterans causes.”